


Puberty and Seeing the Therapist

by askandiwilllie



Series: Puberty [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, First Crush, Incest, Parent/Child Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-04
Updated: 2014-06-04
Packaged: 2018-02-03 09:16:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1739330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/askandiwilllie/pseuds/askandiwilllie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry has an appointment with Archie. Regina doesn't, but they both end up talking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Puberty and Seeing the Therapist

**Author's Note:**

> This turned into a series. sorrynotsorry.
> 
> I had a lot of help with this from a psych major friend who shall remain anon. Like she basically wrote it with me. A good half of what Archie says is her writing. SO massive thanks to her.

Archie watches Henry patiently, the preteen slumped back on the couch in his office. Finally he prompts, “Would you like to tell me why you’re here today, Henry?” The curse had broken, and with it the boy’s memories had returned, so Archie has a pretty good idea what this session is going to be about. It can’t be easy melding two sets of memories.   
  
"Not really," Henry mumbles, kicking at the floor.   
  
"All right," Archie replies agreeably. "But you know, Henry, that this is a safe space, right? Anything you tell me won’t go beyond these walls."

"Yeah, I know." Henry sighs loudly and they sit in silence as minutes pass before he finally blurts out, "I kissed my mom and it broke the curse."

Archie tilts his head slightly in interest. “And this bothers you? It was your mom kissing you that broke the first curse.”

The preteen flushes and shrinks down in his seat, his shoulders up by his ears. “Not Emma… Regina. I kissed her. On the lips. Before I knew she was my mom.”  
  
"I see." Archie watches the boy fidget as he leans forward and, in a compassionate tone, asks, "And how did that make you feel?"

"At first? Or a-after… after I remembered?" Henry looks younger than he is as he asks for clarification, so different from the little boy who used to see him, older than his years and so sure of himself.

"How about we start with at first," Archie suggests with an encouraging smile.

Henry turns red again and tries to disappear into the collar of his shirt. “I… I liked it. I liked her. We watched Harry Potter and she was being so…  _mom_ , but I didn’t know she was mom, so it wasn’t like a mom thing to me, y’know? I thought… I thought maybe she liked me, too. And, y’know, that’s weird and everything, but that’s okay, because I liked her, too. So I just… I just kissed her. I’ve never kissed anyone before. And it was like… I dunno. I really liked it. But then all my memories came back, and I was still kissing her and then she was my  **mom**  again.”

Archie watches the boy’s expressions as he spoke, cycling through embarrassment, happiness, shame, guilt. “It’s very natural for a boy your age, growing up with a single mother and seemingly ignored by her upon coming here, as Emma had to deal with the curse, to latch onto an older woman as a substitute mother figure, especially if she shows him attention,” he explains gently. “There’s nothing wrong with that, Henry.”

"I didn’t think of her like a mom," Henry mumbles in protest.

"I didn’t mean to imply that you did." Archie pauses, brow furrowing in thought as he considers how to explain what he’d meant. "I simply mean that, in your situation, you would’ve been subconsciously drawn to an older woman. And because Regina was trying to spend time with you again, you misinterpreted that, due to not having all the information."

He watches Henry struggle with that, the preteen’s body literally jerking from side to side a little with his thoughts. “I guess,” Henry finally admits.

"And how do you feel about the kiss now that you know Regina is your mother?"

Henry looks like he’s trying to hide his emotions, but he’s had too little practice with it, and his shame clearly shows. “I… I don’t know.” It’s a cop-out and Archie knows that Henry’s aware of it. So he waits. “It’s like… I can’t see her just as my mom anymore. Because for a while she was the really hot mayor that I kept getting to spend time with.”

Digesting the information, Archie nods slowly. “And how  **do**  you see her now? How would you describe your thoughts of her right now?”

"I don’t… I mean…" Henry looks down, kicking his feet against the floor. "I-I kinda wanna kiss her again… a-and just… look at her? And maybe… I dunno… Like… maybe," his voice suddenly raises in pitch, "touch a little?" He clears his throat and hurries to add, ""I know it’s sick and wrong, but… I still feel it."

Archie shakes his head slightly and smiles reassuringly. “Feelings aren’t sick, Henry, nor are they wrong. Feeling something doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you, it just means that you feel something. But you have to understand that  **acting**  on these feelings isn’t appropriate.”

"I know," Henry practically whines. "But I just… I don’t know how to  **act**  around her! Like she’s still my mom and she’s trying to be my mom and I hated her for so long and then I didn’t know her and she didn’t get to be my mom and now she knows I don’t hate her and it’s like she’s trying to make up for all the times I pushed her away, but it’s like I don’t know how to act! Like she hugs me and part of me just wants to hug her back because she’s my mom and I missed her, but there’s this other part that’s thinking about how good she smells or how her boobs feel pressed against me!”

Archie clears his throat and briefly thinks that his curse-given training didn’t quite cover this situation. “Your memories have only  **just**  come back, it’s only natural that you should feel some… dissonance. I assume since the curse broke last night, and it’s only ten in the morning, that you’ve spent most of your time with your mother?”

"Yeah," Henry says quietly, sighing.

"Perhaps it would make things easier to split your time between Regina and Emma," Archie suggests, "and give yourself a bit of distance to sort out your feelings."

"But I don’t  **want**  to sort them out!” Henry suddenly bursts out, jumping up from his seat and startling Archie. “I  **like**  how it feels! It’s… it’s warm and tingly and it makes my head feel funny, but it’s a good funny, and  _I like it_!”

"Henry, I realize—"

Archie doesn’t get to finish his sentence as the boy keeps ranting. “And I **know**  it’s not right, I  **know**  she’s my mom, but it’s a really good feeling, and I know that makes me sick, but I can’t help it!”

"Henry," Archie’s voice takes a rare, stern tone. "Sit down, please." He waits until the boy is seated again, then leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You are  **not**  sick. You’re in an abnormal situation. And it’s natural to want to continue feeling that way, because you’re right, it is pleasurable. And it’s something new, because you’re growing up. All boys your age are feeling the same things about some girl or another. But you have to realize and accept that your mother’s attentions are not given in the context you’re wanting them.”

"You don’t know that," Henry replies defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. "You don’t know what she’s thinking. Besides, I’m not just ‘some boy’! I’m the son of the Evil Queen and the Savior! The grandson of Snow White, Prince Charming, and Rumpelstiltskin! I’ve fought and died and come back and I’m not just a boy!" By the time he finishes, he’s breathing heavily, glaring at Archie with an expression he could’ve only learned from his adoptive mother.

Resisting the urge to rub his forehead and suppressing a sigh, Archie sits back upright in his chair. “That may be true,” he conceeds, “but Regina raised you, alone, as her son, for ten years, the first ten years of your life. She watched you grow for another year, and sacrificed her happiness to keep everyone safe. She sent you with the woman she’d spent a year at odds with, so you wouldn’t be alone, so you would be safe and happy. She views you as her  **son** , her twelve-year-old son, and it doesn’t matter how many incredible and grown-up things you’ve done, you are still her child.”

Henry slouches deeper into the couch, grumbling, “That’s dumb.”

"Why is that?" Archie asks, wondering what Henry found objectionable about what he’d said.

"Because, I mean… some people do it, right? Like I looked it up on the internet. Some people feel things and they do stuff about it and it’s okay."

Tilting his head, Archie cautiously asks, “Are you referring to an older woman with a minor, or a mother and son?”

"Um… Kinda both? I mean… I know I’m not… but… kissing’s still okay, you know? And besides, Mom’s not even related to me!" Henry’s expression is a mix of hope and indignation as he argues his case.

"Do you not consider Regina your mother?" Archie asks, his brow furrowed again. "Because she’s not blood related to you?"

Henry looks taken aback at that. “What? No, ‘course she’s my mom.”

"Then you  **are**  related to her, Henry.” Archie smiles gently. “Family is more than blood, it’s who you were raised by, nurtured by.” Taking a deep breath, he adds, “Even  **if**  Regina  **was**  amenable to that sort of relationship, with being romantically involved with her son, you are still a minor, and it would still be both inappropriate and illegal to pursue that. And even if there was nothing more than kissing, do you think Emma would be okay with that?”

Frowning at the floor, Henry shrugs belligerently and mutters, “It’s not like Emma knows everything, anyway.”

Archie has to hold back another sigh, and tries to remember how he dealt with Gepetto when he’d been that age. “Perhaps not,” he says patiently. “But secrets never stay secret. That shouldn’t be something you rely on. And if this secret did come out, how do you think Emma would react? Would you be willing to deal with any fallout that may result?”

Archie can see the wheels turning frantically in Henry’s mind, and watches the moment when horror hits him. “She’d try and take me away,” Henry whispers. “And… and everyone would help her. And then Mom would be alone and nobody would be there to protect her and… I don’t know what the town would do to her.”

"And is that something you would be willing to risk, if you pursued this?" Archie asks, watching the boy closely. "Would you be willing to go years without seeing your mother, to risk the town’s retaliation?"

Henry’s eyes go wide as he stares at the therapist. “No! That  **can’t**  happen!”

Expression turning sympathetic, Archie suggests, “Don’t you think, though, that if Emma found out, that is exactly what would happen?”   
  
"But… but why can’t it just be okay? I mean… it’s what  **I**  want, so why would anyone even be mad at Mom? It’d be my choice. It’s not like she kissed me first.” Henry’s expression is set in a stubborn frown, and Archie can already see that they’re nearing the end of productive discussion.  
  
"Yes, but Henry, you are underage and it would not be a healthy relationship while you are still so young. Should you decide this is something you want still, when you’re an adult, and Regina is willing, perhaps then you can deal with the repercussions. Right now, though, it isn’t a good idea." The last thing he wants is to push Henry away, but Archie also needs to make sure that the boy knows he cannot act on his feelings right now — they can deal with the future as it comes.

Sighing deeply, Henry nonetheless nods in understanding. “Yeah… I don’t wanna get my mom in trouble.”

Archie smiles at that. “You’re a good boy, Henry. And you’re growing into a good man. Keep hold of that.”

"Thanks, Archie." Henry gives a little lop-sided smile before standing again, this time to leave. "I guess… I’ll probably see you tomorrow, huh?"

"I think that would be best," Archie agrees.

"All right. Bye, Archie. Bye, Pongo." The sleeping dog twitches slightly at his name, but doesn’t wake.

* * *

Archie’s just finished up his day when he opens the door to see Regina standing there, wringing her hands, and he almost expects her to say she’s having trouble with magic again. “Regina,” he greets, smiling and stepping back. Once she’s inside and the door is closed again, he unclips Pongo’s leash and the dog returns to his bed against the wall. “What can I do for you?” he asks, taking his seat.

Regina doesn’t reply right away, just paces agitatedly, working off the nervous energy that practically radiates from her. Finally she states, “The curse broke.”

"Yes," Archie agrees. "It did." He really should’ve expected this, he realizes, after his appointment with Henry that morning, it only makes sense that Regina would also seek him out.

"Henry broke it." She’s still pacing, and he wonders how she doesn’t get dizzy when she spins quickly on her heels.

Giving away nothing of his session with the boy in question, Archie asks, “How did Henry break it?”

The pacing is accompanied by hands running through dark hair, and Archie realizes that he’s never seen the mayor this wound up. “He kissed me.”

"He kissed you," he repeats, confirms, and questions all in one.

"On the mouth," Regina adds, and he can see her throat move as she swallows hard. "It wasn’t… familial," she admits with difficulty.

Hesitating, noting the delicacy of the situation, Archie asks, “How intimate was it? And how did it make you feel?”

He can see Regina’s jaw working as she paces, grinding her teeth together. “It was… intimate,” she forces out, before she stops pacing, facing away from him, her arms crossed over her chest. “He had a fight with Emma and ran all the way to my house. We watched a movie. It was like… when he was little. He curled into my side and I played with his hair and I just… forgot. I forgot that he didn’t remember me. And then he looked at me and just… kissed me.”

He nods, even though she isn’t looking at him. “I see. And what did you do?”

"Nothing." Regina turns to face him and finally sits on the couch. "I just sat there. It… happened so fast. I didn’t even really register that he kissed me when I felt the magic and got my memories back. Then I realized he was still… kissing me… I didn’t know how to react. And then he pulled away, he remembered, too."

"How did it make you feel?" Archie asks again, noting that she didn’t answer the first time. "Have you spoken to Henry about it, and if so, how did he react?"

"We didn’t… talk about it. Not really. We talked about consent." Looking down at her lap, Regina smooths invisible wrinkles from her skirt. "I couldn’t talk to him about it. It was too… I don’t know how to feel about it."

Archie nods, but gently presses, “Maybe you don’t know how you  **should**  feel about it… but do you have an idea how you  **do**  feel about it?”

The reaction is instantaneous, the nervous energy filling Regina again. “It…” Her voice turns a little wistful as she continues, “It’s been so long since he willingly showed me affection.”

"Did it confuse you?"

"God yes," she sighs.

"Explain to me how or  **why**  it confused you,” Archie requests, watching her closely.

Regina gives him an incredulous look. “He’s my  **son**! I shouldn’t…” She makes a vague gesture with one hand. “It was inappropriate.”

"But…?" Archie prompts, sensing more there.

"But… it made me feel…" Bowing her head, ashamed, she admits, "loved."

"Regina," he soothes, "there’s nothing wrong with liking the feeling of being loved, it’s a feeling that everyone deserves. But… what did that mean  **to you**?”

The soothing doesn’t work, and Regina snaps, “I don’t know! This is a waste of time!” She gets up and begins to pace again, but makes no move to actually leave.

"Regina… it isn’t a waste of time. You clearly need to talk about this, and anything you say in this room is safe." He pauses, hesitating. "I know I’ve abused your trust before, but I feel as though I earned it back. You  **can**  be honest with me.”

With a loud, exasperated sigh, she tosses out, “You overestimate your usefulness, cricket.” Still, she sits back down, then whispers, “He’s growing up.”

"He is growing up, yes," Archie agrees non-commitally.

A smile tugs at Regina’s lips, and her voice is wistful as she speaks. “He was my baby. My little prince. And then suddenly he was a stranger. He wanted nothing to do with me,” her voice turns bitter, “the Evil Queen. He decided he wasn’t my son anymore. And then I had to choose to make him no longer my son, for his safety. It’s been two years…”

Archie tilts his head in confusion. “Two years… Do you mean since you were actively his mother?” he asks, and receives a slow nod in confirmation. “What does that mean for you… For your situation?”

Regina shakes her head and takes a slow breath. “I don’t know. He was my little boy, now he’s… his voice is changing and he’s nearly as tall as I am. I realize he’s still a child, but that’s slipping away.”

"I understand that," Archie says, nodding. "I realize that Henry doesn’t look or act the same as he did before the original curse broke, before he found Emma. But… you aren’t really answering my question, Regina. You’re not telling me what that means to you."

Regina slumps back in the couch, much like her son had earlier in the day, and looks defeated. Archie wonders when the last time she had that look was. “It means, doctor,” she says gravely, “that there is something seriously wrong with me, because I can look at my son and see the man he will be and it makes me feel…” she trailed off, but continues again before Archie can prod, “excited. Emotionally, not maternally.”

Curious, Archie thinks, that both mother and son seem to be, if not in the same track, at least facing the same direction, more or less. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that something is wrong with you. Everyone goes through things that may or may not seem appropriate, but having feelings doesn’t make you wrong. It is what you do with those feelings that matters. How do you think you will go about dealing with it?”

Straightening abruptly, Regina gives him a baleful glare. “Well I’m not going to sleep with my twelve-year-old son, if that’s what you’re worried about!”

"I may not know you well, but I know that, Regina." Archie says, his hands palm-up in supplication. "It isn’t what I meant, I am sorry it came across that way. What I mean is when will you discuss the actual kiss with him, not just the consent. Also, what do you do to deal with your emotional feelings that also happen to not be maternal?"

Regina grumbles under her breath and Archie gets the distinct impression she’s kicking herself for the conclusion she’d jumped to. “I hadn’t planned on talking to him about it at all,” she answers. “As for my…  _feelings_ ," disgust drips off the word, "out of sight, out of mind."

"Regina," Archie sighs, looking at her worriedly. "Neither of those options are very healthy. Perhaps," he suggests, "a discussion with Henry would be best to help you figure out exactly what you’re dealing with. Both with your own feelings, and with Henry’s. I also think that ‘out of sight, out of mind’ isn’t going to work if Henry is still around. And I don’t imagine you want to not see Henry."

The glare she gives him is patented Evil Queen, and when he doesn’t react, it only intensifies. “What am I even paying you for? Ugh. I should’ve left you a cricket,” she says with a curl to her lip.

Archie ignores the insult, knowing that Regina hates it when someone else is right. “Regina, I’m not saying that you need to do it right away, nor am I saying that you need to decide  **how**  to do it right now. I just think that the best option to prevent anything happening that will take either of you by surprise, is to figure out what and where it is coming from, and that involves both of you.”

With a deep sigh, Regina stood. “Yes, well. Thank you for your time, Doctor Hopper.”

Before she can leave, Archie stops her, saying, “I’m always here if you need to talk more, Regina, particularly if you need to discuss anything after you talk to Henry or figure out what to do.”

Regina’s expression softens slightly before her mayoral mask slips back into place, and she nods.

The door closes behind her and Archie sighs deeply. “Come on, Pongo,” he says, patting his leg as he calls the dog. “Lets go home.”


End file.
